The potential of the Bazhenov shale play in Western Siberia, where ExxonMobil (XOM) and Rosneft...

The potential of the Bazhenov shale play in Western Siberia, where ExxonMobil (XOM) and Rosneft have agreed to start JV operations, is immense: It covers 570M acres, the size of Texas and the Gulf of Mexico combined - an area 80x bigger than Bakken. But the challenges will require patience: During the summer, weather in the area warms and softens the ground enough to prevent drilling.